EARTH DHARMA FARM

Most of the flour you find in grocery stores is made from varieties of grain that have been bred for easy mechanized harvesting and processing. Unfortunately, gains in mechanized efficiency have come at the cost of protein content, taste and nutrition. Fortunately, the older “heirloom” or “heritage” grains grown by our ancestors are still available thanks to the many individuals and organizations that have saved seeds.

In 2009, we planted about 70 varieties of heirloom grain obtained from the USDA’s National Small Grains Collection, the Whole Grain Connection, and the Heritage Grain Conservancy. We are growing these varieties out and will begin selling seeds beginning in late February 2015. To our knowledge, we will be one of only a handful of commercial sources of organic heirloom grain seed in the US and Canada. Most of the wheat varieties that we will sell lend themselves to growing in the cooler climate of the northeast US, and are ideal for making bread. Varieties we are growing out include: